The First Adventure
by Lady Loyal of Narnia
Summary: What happens when you add an extra character to the adventures of the Pevensies? Especially when that extra character is an avid fan of the books and has read them many, many times. Slight AU.
1. Chapter 1

_**Hi, everyone! Welcome to my story! This is my first attempt at writing fanfiction. I've never been a strong writer, but I was bored one day, and this happened. There are a couple of things I want to make clear before the story truly begins, but I'll try to keep it short.**_

_**First of all, I DON'T OWN NARNIA OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS CREATED BY C.S. LEWIS. As much as I wish I did, I don't. I ALSO DON'T OWN ANYTHING FROM THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA MOVIES.**_

_**Second of all, please review! Constructive criticism is very welcome, but flames will be ignored.**_

_**Third, I have this story mostly written. It just needs to be edited a tad bit before I put it on here. That said, I'm currently rather busy in real life, and so I may or may not actually manage to make myself edit what I need to. If I haven't posted the next chapter by, say, the 9th or 10th of Feb, then please, bug me about it until I do it. :D**_

_**Fourth, I want to make this clear. I've seen the movies, and read the books. I think that the books are so much better, but the first movie was really good. In this story, a lot of the scenery and stuff is from the movie, although quite a few things are from the book.**_

_**And last, but not least, if you see anything in this story that looks like it came from another fanfiction author, please let me know. It's not my attempt to plagiarize or steal anything from someone else. I'll admit that I read a lot of stories written by LadyAlambiel and elecktrum, as they're both incredible authors. I seriously don't want to unintentionally steal someone else's ideas, thoughts, characters, or anything else, so please let me know if you see something, and I'll do my best to make things right.**_

_**Alright, that's enough of me. On with the story!**_

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I sighed in relief as the door shut behind my two roommates. It had been a long, tiring day at the office where I was interning, and all I wanted to do was stay home and relax by myself. With that thought in mind, I changed into my pajamas and picked out one of my favorite books to read. I got comfortable on the couch and started reading _The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe_. I must have been more tired than I thought, because I'd only been reading for a few minutes when I fell asleep.

I woke with a start, feeling something cold and wet drop onto my head. I shrieked and jumped up, ready to smack whoever played such mean joke on me. Except, no one was there. Somehow, I was now in a snowy clearing with an old-fashioned lamppost in the middle of it. The scene looked incredibly familiar.

"No," I breathed, my eyes wide. "It can't be."

I continued my inspection of my surroundings, and noticed four very confused kids staring at me from the other side of the clearing. The one who looked to be the oldest of them was taller than me, with dirty blond hair. He had blue eyes, and was in the process of putting on a long fur coat. He looked to be three or four years younger than me. The older looking girl had dark brown hair and green eyes. She was very pretty, but she was scowling. The other boy had black hair and brown eyes, and looked rather sullen. The youngest girl had short, dark auburn hair and brown eyes, and she had a wide smile on her face. They were all staring at me. I looked down to see if I could find a reason with my appearance to explain why they were staring at me, and was surprised to find myself wearing a thin, warm black fitted coat that went down to my knees over a dark blue, fitted t-shirt with silver swirls on it, a pair of comfortable blue skinny jeans, a black belt, and warm black winter boots. I didn't have any jewelry on, other than the ring I always wore, and my hair was in a braid, with sunglasses on top. I found black fingerless gloves on my hands, but no other accessories. I frowned. What had happened? I'd been wearing my pajamas a moment ago. Looking back up, I realized that I had more important things to worry about, like the kids who were still staring at me.

"Um...hi." I said.

The youngest looking girl smiled wider.

"Hello!" she said cheerfully.

"Who are you?" the other girl asked bluntly.

"Susan!" the younger girl said reproachfully, her smile fading just a little. "Be nice."

"No, it's ok." I assured her with a small smile. "I was about to ask the same thing. I'm Alexa. Who are you?"

"I'm Lucy," she replied. "This is Susan," she pointed to the dark-haired older girl, "that's Peter," she motioned to the blond guy, "and that's Edmund," she gestured toward the other, dark-haired guy.

I frowned. This was too much of a coincidence. I had to ask. "Your last name wouldn't happen to be Pevensie, would it?"

Peter looked at me suspiciously. "How did you know that?"

That was all the confirmation I needed. I only knew of one place where there was a lamppost in the middle of the woods like I had seen. The fact that the Pevensie kids were here was simply extra proof of the fact that I was now in one of my favorite fictional places: Narnia.

I took a deep breath, trying not to freak out. After a few moments, I looked at Peter.

"You wouldn't believe me," I told him.

He raised an eyebrow. "I might, considering that I just climbed into a wardrobe and found myself in a forest in the middle of the winter."

I smiled a little. "That sounds about as strange as my own story. Very well. I'll tell you."

Susan interrupted before I could properly begin. "I'm sure your story is absolutely fascinating," she said, "But do you think you could tell it when we're not out in the cold snow?"

I nodded. "Of course." I frowned. "I don't know my way around here, though, so I don't know where we can go."

Lucy grinned. "Why don't we go to Mr. Tumnus' house?" she asked excitedly.

After a moment of silence, we all nodded assent. On the way, I started telling my story. I left out a few things, like the fact that I was from a different time, and the fact that I'd read about their adventures in Narnia. I figured those facts might scare the others, and besides, I wasn't quite sure what to do about them myself. I'd just finished telling my story when we arrived at our destination. Lucy gasped in horror at the devastation that greeted us, and stood in shock at the entrance. Peter and Susan walked a few steps in and found a note from Maugrim, Captain of the Queen's Secret Police, pinned to the floor. Susan read the note out loud, and as soon as she finished reading the note, Lucy darted inside. I followed her. The carnage inside was even worse than what could be seen from the outside. I found Lucy crying in front of a picture frame with a shredded painting of an older man with horns and a bushy gray beard. Gently, I enveloped the girl in a hug and led her back outside to her waiting family. Susan and Peter were arguing when we came out, and Edmund was sulking. Since they were preoccupied, I was the first one to notice the beaver waving at us. I pointed him out, and when the animal gestured for us to follow him, I did so without hesitation. After a moment, the others followed me. The Beaver led us to his home, where we were invited inside (it was quite funny to see the expressions on Peter's and Susan's faces when they heard the Animal talk), and invited us to dinner. During the meal, we learned of the prophecy that foretold the false Queen's downfall in the form of four siblings. Peter and Susan weren't too happy to find that they had a role that everyone expected them to play. Peter downright refused. He stood and announced that he and his siblings were going home. I stayed in my seat and buttered my bread.

"And how do you expect to take all your siblings home when not all of them are here?" I asked calmly.

Apparently, I was the only one who'd noticed Edmund's absence. It took a moment for Peter and Susan to realize what I meant. They rushed outside with Beaver, trying to find their brother. I took a bite out of my roll as they came back inside, already arguing about whether to go find Edmund (whom Beaver was convinced had gone to the White Witch) or go straight to Aslan. I sighed as I realized that this argument wasn't likely to stop anytime soon.

"Enough!" I yelled. Everyone shut up. "Ok, the way I see it, we need to go find Aslan, and soon. If Edmund _has_ gone to the Witch, then Aslan is the only hope we have of rescuing him. The sooner we leave, the better, because chances are that the Witch will be sending her not-so-secret Police after us soon."

The Beavers nodded, while Lucy looked like she was about to cry, Susan looked kind of mad, and Peter was glaring at me. Sighing, I stood and went over to Lucy, enveloping her in a hug as the Beavers went to go pack some things.

"Look," I said before Peter or Susan could say anything. "I know you don't believe that your brother would go to the Witch, but think about it. Where else would he have gone? Logically, if he slipped out, would it be to wander around and explore? Its winter outside and freezing cold. Besides, what teenage boy chooses to go explore a cold winter wonderland without a coat when there's a hot meal right in front of him?" I sighed. "I know this is hard, and I can only imagine what you're feeling, but trust me on this. Aslan is our best hope of finding and helping your brother."

Susan sighed. "Fine. Let's go find this Aslan." She stood and went to help Mrs. Beaver pack things. Peter and I stayed where we were. Lucy had stopped crying by now, but I knew this was hard for her, so I kept hugging her. A few minutes later, the Beavers and Susan came back out, each carrying two bags. Peter grabbed one from Beaver. I disentangled myself gently from Lucy, and then grabbed one from Mrs. Beaver while Susan handed her sister another bag. Within minutes, we were all bundled up and opening the secret tunnel that would start us on our journey toward the Stone Table, where Aslan was said to be. We were just in time, too, because as we opened the door to the passageway in the Beaver's home, the sounds of Wolves could be heard. Peter and I blocked the front door with some of the furniture, and then darted down the tunnel, making sure to close it behind us. The six of us raced down the passageway as fast as we could, and burst out the other end, only to find a bunch of statues in the grove where the tunnel ended. As horrifying as I found the sight of all of the petrified animals, I knew we needed to move.

"Come on, let's go. We can grieve later. Right now, we need to keep going." I did my best to prod everyone on, trying to be encouraging and motivational. I finally got everyone moving again, and we set off.

A few hours later, as we were entering some woods, we heard sleigh bells. The Beavers assumed it was the Witch and rushed us all into hiding. We huddled together in a tiny cave, terrified, waiting for the bells to pass, except they didn't. They stopped right above us. After a moment, it became clear that someone would need to go see who it was. Peter and Beaver both started to move, but I was closer to the entrance of the crevice we were in, so I beat them to it. A moment later, I called down to my friends.

"Come on up! There's a friend here who wants to see you!"

Peter came up first, just to be sure it was safe, but when he saw who was waiting for him, he smiled and turned to help everyone else up. Once everyone was out of the hiding place, we went to greet Father Christmas. We were very glad to see him, and he seemed very happy to be back in Narnia. He started to pass out presents. Lucy was given a dagger and a diamond cordial of fireflower juice that could heal any wound with only a few drops. Susan got a bow and a quiver of arrows, as well as a horn that, according to Father Christmas, would always bring help. Peter received a beautiful sword and a shield. Beaver was given a fixed and slightly upgraded dam, while Mrs. Beaver got a new sewing machine. And then it was my turn. Father Christmas gave me a pair of twin daggers, with red grips and golden lion heads on both of them, much like the hilt of Peter's sword. They were light, extremely sharp, and absolutely beautiful. I expected that to be all, but to my surprise, Father Christmas pulled out one more item for me. It was a black waterproof bag, and inside was a book, beautifully bound in black leather. On the cover, in silver calligraphy, was my name. Reverently I took the tome out and opened it, quickly flipping through the rest of the book, catching glimpses of lots of different pictures of my family and friends. Tears running down my face, I thanked the man who'd delivered this precious gift to me. He smiled at me gently, and then bade us all a cheerful farewell before taking off once more in his sleigh.

Our group continued on toward our destination. We finally decided to stop several hours later. We found a cave nearby and spent the night, huddled next to each other for warmth. We got up early the next morning, ate a quick, cold breakfast, and continued on, managing to reach the river around midmorning. It was there that the Wolves found us. They'd surrounded us, and the head Wolf, Maugrim, faced us, trying to get us to give up and surrender. Susan was all for following his advice, but Peter and I ignored her and drew our blades. I could see when Peter realized that the ice covering the river was melting. He drove his sword into the ice, and I drove both of my blades in as well. The icy water from the freed river washed over us and pushed us downstream. The Beavers slipped into the water and guided the pieces of ice we were floating on to the bank. I managed to grab Lucy just before she slipped out of her coat while trying to hold on to the ice. Carefully, we climbed off the ice, and started walking again. Soon, it was warm enough that Peter, Susan, and Lucy shed their fur coats and hung them over a tree branch to dry. I kept mine on. It was light enough that it didn't bother me, and I figured that it would be nice to have for when winter came again in a few months.

We finally reached our destination about two hours after noon. As we reached the top of a hill overlooking the valley below, we stopped to admire the awesome view. The valley was filled with red and gold tents, with different creatures and Animals moving about doing different things. The air was filled with the sound of metal on metal, either in the forges or on the training grounds. I stood there for a few minutes, staring at it with the others. As the Beavers finally started downhill, I took a deep, fortifying breath and followed them into the camp with the Pevensies behind me. As we walked down the main path toward a large tent that was slightly set apart from the others, the occupants of the camp noticed us, and it became quiet as everyone stared at us. Lucy smiled at everyone, but Peter and Susan looked just as uncomfortable with the attention as I was. We approached the tent and Peter drew his sword, announcing that we had come to see Aslan.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Hello again! I had extra time tonight, so I decided that I'd grace you with another chapter. I doubt I'll be able to upload chapters back-to-back like this very often, but tonight, you got lucky. You might even get a third chapter...who knows?**_

_**Disclaimer: see chapter 1**_

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After a moment, the Lion exited his tent, and everyone knelt. I understood why. One look at the majestic golden Lion, and I was on my knees. Even if I'd wanted to, I couldn't have done anything else in that moment. Aslan was more amazing and magnificent and splendid and glorious than I ever could have dreamed. He greeted us each by name, and then asked where Edmund was. Peter bravely answered, but I could tell that it was hard for him to speak. Lucy's plea for the Lion to help her brother nearly broke my heart. Beaver loudly announced that he had gone to the Witch, which caused everyone listening to roar in outrage.

I rolled my eyes. I wished they wouldn't judge him so quickly. Edmund was simply a boy who'd made a very big mistake. I had no doubt that he was learning the error of his ways. The Lion roared for quiet, and promised to help find Edmund. He called a Nymph and a Faun forward to guide us humans to our tents.

The tent the Nymph led us to was large enough for Susan, Lucy, and I. It was comfortable looking, with rugs on the ground and sleeping hammocks covered in blankets and pillows. There were clothes in trunks on the ground, which the Nymph assured us were made to fit us. Susan and Lucy changed into dresses, but I chose to keep my outfit on, as it was quite comfortable.

The three of us decided to wander around for a bit. It didn't take us very long to find a nearby creek, where we decided to stay for a while. Susan and Lucy talked a bit and splashed each other in the creek, while I stayed back a bit and examined my new book. Of course, I was still paying attention to my surroundings, mainly because I knew Maugrim was going to show up sooner or later. My attentiveness paid off. I managed to catch a glimpse of fur out of the corner of my eye. Acting as normal as I could, I carefully put my book away and stood, heading over to the small table a Nymph had set out for us with some refreshments, and where Susan had hung her horn. I'd just reached it when I heard Susan scream as she reached for a towel and found Maugrim waiting behind it. Quickly, I grabbed the horn and tossed it to Susan as she flung the towel in Maugrim's face. She grabbed the horn and started climbing one of the trees while I helped Lucy climb another one. I kicked a wolf in the snout, and then turned and slashed at the other wolf, making him back up just enough for Susan to pull me up to where I was safe. As soon as I was settled, she blew the horn twice. A couple minutes later, Peter rushed into the clearing, with Aslan and some of the soldiers right behind him. Aslan held the others back as Peter successfully killed Maugrim, the wolf I'd slashed at with my knife. Aslan had the other one trapped under his massive paw, and once Maugrim was dead, the Lion let the trapped wolf go, with orders to the soldiers to follow him. They raced off as Aslan admonished Peter for not cleaning his sword. Once the blade was wiped clean on the grass, Aslan had Peter kneel, and the Lion knighted the boy. Peter was now Sir Peter Wolfsbane, Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Lion. After, Peter came over to make sure we were all right. I guessed that he wanted a private word with his sisters, so I excused myself and started walking in the direction of the camp. I ambled along slowly, relishing the peace and quiet. For the first time in a couple of days, I could actually think without there being something urgent to distract me. I looked around for a spot to just sit and contemplate everything that had happened in the past few days. Finding one, I sat down and closed my eyes, only to open them a few minutes later when I heard heavy footsteps coming toward me. I expected to see someone coming to find me and escort me back to camp, but instead I saw the golden Lion heading towards me. I got up as he approached and bowed.

"Aslan," I greeted him.

"Alexa," He replied. "How are you, child?"

I sighed. "As well as can be expected, I suppose, considering I'm now part of a world that I previously believed was completely fiction."

He chuckled. "Come here, Daughter of Eve."

I obeyed, going up to the Great Cat and burying my hands in his gloriously soft mane. Being near him gave me peace, and within minutes I was feeling so much better. Aslan and I talked for quite a while. I found it so easy to pour out all my troubles on him, and he gave me some advice, and encouraged me. Somehow, we ended up back at camp, which surprised me, because I didn't remember moving. Finally, Aslan shooed me away, saying that he had other business to attend to. I nodded and gave him one last hug before heading off to find the others. It was easy to find them, as they were all by the girl's tent. I greeted them, and then ducked inside to change, since my outfit was ripped and dirtied. It was quite sad. I liked that outfit. I found some black leggings and boots on my hammock, with a pretty short-sleeved, dark purple tunic with silver embroidery and a black belt. I changed into that, hung my daggers from the belt, and put on my gloves. Just as I finished, Susan and Lucy came in for something. I carefully put my other clothes away in the trunk, and then went outside, where I found Peter waiting for us. Once the girls came out, we went to eat some supper. It was late when we finally got up from the table, and so the four of us decided to go to bed.

I woke up early the next morning to the sounds of Susan trying to get Lucy to be a bit quieter as the two of them got ready for the day. I decided that going back to sleep would be useless, so I got up and got dressed in the same outfit as the night before, only this time, I included my sunglasses. I stepped out of the tent, and the first thing I saw (other than a gorgeous sunrise) was Peter, looking at something in the distance. I followed his gaze and saw Aslan talking to Edmund. I didn't say anything, instead choosing to simply watch and wait. A few moments later, Susan and Lucy came out, and Lucy's excited cry broke the silence of the morning.

"Edmund!"

I held her back, shaking my head. "Give them a few moments."

She nodded, but by then it didn't matter, as Edmund was already headed toward us, with Aslan right behind him. The Lion reminded us that the past was over and done with, and then left us alone. Lucy enthusiastically hugged her brother, and then Susan did the same, albeit with less energy.

Stepping forward, I gave him a smile. "It's good to see you, Edmund." I gave him a hug, and then stepped back.

Peter stared at his brother for a moment, and then ordered him to go rest. I glared at the blond. Peter saw my expression and scowled at me, but he did call his brother's name. Edmund looked back like he was afraid Peter was going to start yelling at him, but all the older boy did was smile wryly and tell him not to wander off. Edmund smiled and went off in the direction of the boy's tent.

Once Edmund was out of sight, Peter went off by himself to a cliff with a great view of what I assumed was Cair Paravel. I guessed he wanted to think for a while. Susan and Lucy headed back into our tent, to rest or talk or something. I decided to go see if I could find the training grounds and practice some. I somehow managed to find them without getting lost, although I had to ask directions from several people.

There were a few people there when I arrived, but none of them were at the archery range, so I decided to start there first. I really didn't want to embarrass myself in front of these soldiers. I started out small, just throwing one of my knives (very, very carefully) at a target from a few yards away. After a while, I started to get the hang of it, and I began to move farther away from the target. Eventually, I realized what time it was. Crud. I was supposed to meet the Pevensies for lunch. I sheathed my daggers and started running.

I arrived at the lunch table out of breath. Lucy saw me first and waved.

"Come sit next to me, Alexa!" I smiled and obeyed as I caught my breath. I grabbed a plate and started loading it. After a few minutes, Lucy looked at me curiously.

"Why were you so out of breath?"

"I was over at the training grounds, practicing with my new knives," I replied. "I was nearly late for lunch, so I ran all the way here."

Lucy grinned.

"They've got a nice archery range, and it was empty. It was good to practice on," I said.

"Hmmm…" mused Susan, "Maybe I should go check it out."

Peter finally spoke from his spot leaning against a nearby boulder. "Why bother? It's not like you'll have your bow in England."

Susan, Edmund, Lucy and I looked at each other in confusion.

"No, but we're not _in_ England, Peter, so that doesn't matter." Susan said.

"Not yet, you aren't. But you four are going home," Peter said simply. The rest of us were too shocked to protest, so he went on. "I promised Mum and Dad that I'd protect you," he told his siblings, "We left a war back in England, and now you want to join another one? It's too dangerous." He turned to me. "Alexa, it's too dangerous for you as well. I don't want you getting hurt. I plan to stay and help, but I'm sending you four home, where it's safe."

I glared at him. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Lucy, who looked like she was about to cry. Slowly, I stood and faced Peter, who was already standing. When I spoke, my voice was calm, but I'm pretty sure it was evident that I was trying not to yell.

"What gives you the authority to make that decision for me, Peter? We've only known each other for three days!" I sighed and tried to calm myself down. "Look, I think it's sweet that you want to protect me, but you have no right to send me home. I'm four years older than you, and perfectly capable of making my own decisions. This particular choice is mine to make. It's not something that I can allow others to make for me. I know how serious it is. I know that I'll have to fight a war if I stay. I'm well aware of those facts." I paused for a moment, gathering my thoughts. "Thank you for looking out for me, Peter. I truly appreciate that. However, regardless of what you've decided for me, I'm making my own choice. And I choose to stay."

And with that, I turned and walked away, headed toward the training fields again. I needed to work out some irritation, and training was a good way to do that without harming anyone. I arrived to find that the archery range was still empty. I threw my knives for a few minutes, but then Susan and Lucy arrived, and we all decided to try archery. I was horrible, but Susan and Lucy were decent at it. They helped me, and after an hour, I was able to hit the target every time, although it was always in the outer two rings. Lucy tried her hand at throwing her dagger after a while, and she was surprisingly good. Finally, I had to stop because my arms were incredibly sore. I decided I'd go take a nap, so I headed back to the tent I shared with Susan and Lucy. I got intercepted on the way there by the centaur General, Oreius, who decided that since I wasn't doing anything of importance, I should join him for a lesson. I grumpily followed him back to the training fields, where he found me a sword, and started teaching me stuff. After a while, he set me against Edmund and had us spar. Edmund managed to knock my sword out of my hands within the first five minutes, but I simply drew my knives and kept going. Somehow, I knew exactly what to do with them, and within ten minutes of the fight starting, I beat Edmund. After that, Oreius taught me more about my knives and what I could do with them rather than teaching me more about the art of the sword.

Finally, four hours later, Oreius let us go for supper. Peter, Edmund, and I were incredibly sore, and we had numerous bruises, so before we headed to the supper table where Susan and Lucy were no doubt waiting for us, we stopped by the healer's tent to see if they could help us. When we left a couple minutes later, we were thanking the healer profusely for the jars of cream she'd given us. We didn't even have to explain how sore we were. We simply walked in and told her that we'd been training with Oreius. She gave us a sympathetic smile and handed us clay jars before explaining what we needed to do with them. I knew that if I sat down, I wasn't going to get up again, so I ducked into my tent to rub the cream on myself before supper. Peter and Edmund followed my example.

Once we finally arrived at dinner, we found Susan and Lucy already there, waiting for us. They laughed when we told them why we were late. Edmund started to complain about the lack of sympathy that we were receiving, but that only caused Susan and Lucy to tease him more, so he stopped.

Right after supper, Peter, Edmund and I went to bed. Oreius wanted us up and ready to go by seven am the next morning, and I knew that if I didn't go to bed right away, I wasn't going to get up before noon the next day.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Enjoy another chapter. I'm on a roll tonight, so you may get another chapter or two before I make myself actually go to bed.**_

_**Disclaimer: see chapter 1**_

_**Remember, if you have any questions or see anything that needs correcting, feel free to PM me or review.**_

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Peter woke me up at six the next morning, and I grumpily got dressed in the black pants and boots from the day before, but with a plain dark blue tunic and black belt. I slipped my gloves on, braided my hair, grabbed my sunglasses and daggers, and headed out to get breakfast. I found Peter and Edmund eating already, and as I joined them, Peter handed me a fruit that was shaped like a small squash, but was red in color. I took a bite, and was pleasantly surprised to find that not only did it taste like a tangy green apple, but it also woke me up and gave me a small burst of energy. I finished it, and grabbed a couple pieces of buttered toast to eat on the way to the training fields, along with three more of those peculiar fruits.

Oreius trained us hard for three hours before he allowed a break. I thanked Aslan that I'd grabbed more of those energy fruits, as I desperately needed it. I gave one each to Peter and Edmund, who both looked like they needed the energy just as much as I did. We only got a ten minute break before Oreius called us back. I'm fairly sure our groans could be heard all across the camp, but the Centaur just chuckled.

Oreius finally let us go at noon, and gave us three hours for lunch. The boys and I scarfed some food down as fast as we could without choking ourselves, and then went to rub ointment into our aching muscles and take a nap. Susan and Lucy laughed at us, but I knew that they were up for a lesson with the fierce General next, and I doubted they'd be laughing tonight.

Peter woke me up that afternoon, with an energy fruit in his hand. I scarfed it down before getting ready for more of Oreius' torturous lessons. When we reached the training field, we found the Centaur looking impatient. The moment we stopped in front of him, he set off. We followed him as quickly as we could, and he led us to a large field filled with Centaurs, Talking and not-talking horses, and even a few unicorns. We spent an hour wandering among them, and eventually, we were each chosen by an equine to be their riders. A proud, brilliantly white and silver unicorn named Elgar chose Peter. Edmund was chosen by one of the Talking Horses, a chestnut stallion named Philip. I was chosen by a beautiful all black mare named Amata, who was also a Talking Horse. She had a high, musical voice and a white star on her forehead. We spent the afternoon getting used to riding our new mounts. Peter and Edmund had never been on a horse, and so it took them a couple hours just to get used to the balance of riding. My aunt had taught me how to ride years ago, and every time I visited, she taught me something new, and so it didn't take me very long at all to get used to the balance of riding Amata. Soon, I was cantering and galloping around. Amata showed me what it felt like when she reared and bucked, and coached me on how to stay on her back when it happened. It was an enjoyable afternoon for me, although the boys sure didn't think so. Oreius finally let us go for supper, and the boys complained about riding all the way back to the tents. I laughed at them, which they didn't really appreciate.

We found Susan and Lucy at the supper table again, and as we all loaded up our plates, they told us how their lesson with the General had gone. He'd coached them on archery and knife throwing. According to them, Oreius had actually praised them and said they were doing well. Peter, Edmund, and I shared a look at that and simultaneously rolled our eyes. The General wasn't nearly so nice to us.

Once supper was finished, the five of us all headed to bed. The next morning, Peter woke me at six again. This time, he had an energy fruit with him, which he handed to me as soon as I was awake enough to get out of bed. I devoured it quickly, and then focused on getting dressed. Today's outfit consisted of a new pair of black pants, dark gray boots, and a dark red tunic with a silver belt. I put on my gloves and sunglasses, strapped on my daggers, and headed out.

Breakfast consisted of some water, some toast, and another energy fruit. I grabbed two more of the fruits and a flask of water before I headed out to train with Oreius. I noticed Peter and Edmund also grabbed some energy fruit to take with them.

The day's lesson started on horseback. Once the horses (and unicorn) were warmed up, we began practicing with weapons while riding. Oreius had me try a few moves with my daggers, but he mainly had me concentrate on using a bow while moving while Peter and Edmund were set to sparring on horseback. It was very entertaining to watch them. It became rather obvious fairly quickly that my skill with the bow was worse while I was on a horse than it was while I was standing on my own two feet. Oreius quickly set me to throwing daggers from Amata's back, but that went worse than the bow. I had absolutely no talent with projectile weapons. Finally, the Centaur gave me a sword and set me to practicing with it while riding Amata. I managed not to hurt myself or anyone else, but it quickly became abundantly clear that giving me a sword while I was riding was not a good idea. Maybe after this war was won, I could convince Oreius to teach me how to use a sword properly, but right now, I was more of a danger to my allies than I was to my enemies, especially on horseback. In the end, Oreius gave me two short swords that were close enough to daggers for me to use.

We practiced various things while riding for several hours, pausing only twice for a few minutes for a break. Oreius let us go for lunch at around noon, with orders that we be back by 2. With that time limit in mind, our mounts agreed to carry us to lunch before they headed off to eat their own lunch. We arrived at the lunch table just as Susan and Lucy walked up. We sat down and loaded our plates, and then the boys and I proceeded to eat as fast as we could. Once we were done, we went to take a nap, knowing we'd need the energy.

Peter woke me up later and informed me that we had 20 minutes to be back at the training grounds. I got up and quickly consumed another energy fruit, and then spent a while just praying. Amata was waiting for me when I stepped outside, and gladly offered to give me a ride to the training grounds. We galloped toward Oreius and the boys, jumping over some obstacles and dodging others. We made it just in time, and Oreius began the lesson by setting us to practicing with weapons on horseback again. I practiced with my daggers for an hour, and then the short swords. Peter and Edmund were sparring again. Susan and Lucy were at the archery range, practicing with bows and daggers. Suddenly, Mr. Beaver came running up to us with a message. He was out of breath, but the message was clear. Jadis was coming. Quickly, Peter and I raced over to Susan and Lucy. I pulled Lucy up behind me, and Peter pulled Susan up behind him. With Edmund and Oreius right behind us, we raced for the main part of the camp.

The main path into camp was already lined with soldiers. We managed to find a spot near Aslan's tent where we could stand. Unfortunately, the horses were too big to fit, so we dismounted, and the equines went off with Oreius to find a better spot.

The five of us huddled together, waiting for the false queen. She came within moments of us getting settled, and it was all I could do to resist drawing one of my daggers and throwing it at her, despite knowing the with my aim, I was more likely to hit an ally. The Witch was seated on a throne, which was on a platform being carried by four servants. A Dwarf walked ahead of this group, announcing the arrival of the "Queen" of Narnia. Jadis saw our little group within a few moments of her entering camp, and glared at us, although she seemed to target Edmund in particular. I took a small step forward so that I was slightly in front of the others. My back was straight, and I managed to hide my fear. I glared right back at the Witch, silently telling her that she wasn't getting to Edmund or his siblings without going through me. She sneered at me, and I intensified my glare. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Peter and Susan step up beside me. I crossed my arms and smirked at Jadis. She smiled a creepy smile and then looked away as Aslan came out and greeted her. I kept my eyes on her as she talked to the Lion, only taking them off of her for a quick glance back at Edmund when the Witch mentioned a traitor. He was pale and trembling slightly, but he was also standing tall. I gave him an encouraging smile, and then returned to glaring at Jadis, refusing to look away even as she followed Aslan into his tent. Once she was out of sight, however, I turned back to the others. I met Edmund's eyes, silently asking if he was alright. He nodded slightly, and I smiled at him before sitting on the grass. The others looked at me in slight confusion.

"What?" I asked. "It's likely that they're going to be in there for a bit, and I don't want to stand the entire time."

They stood there in silence for a moment, and then Edmund sat down, quickly followed by the rest of his family. Around us, the army started muttering. Some of the soldiers sat down, and some walked away to go do something else for a bit. I leaned toward Edmund.

"You alright?" I asked in a quiet voice.

"I'm fine," he said sarcastically.

"Edmund," I said firmly. "Calm down."

He looked at me with incomprehension and opened his mouth to say something, but I cut him off.

"You'll be fine. She's never going to get her hands on you ever again. I will die before I let her near you again."

Peter and Edmund looked at me in surprise and gratitude, while Susan smiled at me and Lucy grinned brilliantly. I smiled back at them. The rest of the wait was filled with chitchatting and laughter. I kept one eye on the tent where the Witch was the entire time, and when she emerged an hour later, with the Lion right behind her, I was one of the first to notice her. I stood, and as I did so, the others noticed her. Their smiles faded as they stood as well. I stood slightly in front of them, but this time Peter was at my side. I knew Lucy was behind the two of us, where she could see what was happening, but wasn't easily seen. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Susan and Edmund. Ed was right next to and slightly behind me, with Susan right next to him. Jadis sneered at the five of us, and I glared at her. Aslan announced that the Witch had renounced her claim on Edmund, and I smiled at her. It was the kind of smile that promised bad things would happen if she ever came near Edmund again. For a brief millisecond, I thought I could see a flash of fear in her eyes before she glared at me, although it was probably my imagination. I glared right back at her as she walked back to her throne and climbed on, not ceasing until she and her party were out of sight. As soon as she was gone, I turned to the others.

"Come on. Let's get back to training."

I got four nods in response as I whistled. Seconds later, Amata, Philip, Oreius, and Elgar were making their way toward us. As soon as they arrived, Peter, Edmund, and I mounted our respective rides. Peter pulled Lucy up behind him, and Edmund offered Susan a ride, which she gladly took. Together, we raced off. Amata galloped ahead of Elgar and Philip easily. Oreius kept pace with us as my beautiful mount leaped over obstacles and dodged soldiers. We reached the training yard first and immediately made our way over to the water station. As soon as we'd quenched our thirst, Oreius started ordering us about. Once the others arrived, they were directed to the water station, and then we were split up to practice different things. Peter, Edmund, and I practiced sparring against each other, both on horseback, and on foot. Susan and Lucy went to practice their archery and knife throwing.

We trained for two hours, and by the time Oreius let us go, it was dark, and the five of us were incredibly hungry. We quickly got some dinner and ate, and then headed to our tents. I made sure to rub the sore muscles cream into my sore muscles, and then I headed to bed.


	4. Chapter 4

_**This one is a tad shorter than the others, but only because I couldn't resist stopping at such a big cliffhanger. :D**_

_**Before you start making plans to hurt me for leaving a cliffhanger, let me reassure you. The next chapter will be out momentarily.**_

_**Disclaimer: see chapter 1**_

I got about four hours of sleep before Lucy woke me up, telling me to quickly get dressed and follow her. I did so, dressing in the first tunic and pants I grabbed. I pulled a plain black cape on over the outfit, and pulled on my boots. I grabbed my daggers, my gloves, and an energy fruit from the bowl of fruit that had been left in the tent. I stepped outside, only to find Susan and Lucy quietly sneaking off. I followed them as quietly as I could, eating the fruit while I went. When I finally caught up to them, they were standing next to Aslan. The Lion looked sad, but at the same time, grateful for our presence. Without a word, I walked up to him and wrapped my arms around his neck. He purred for a moment, and then nudged me. I let go, but kept one hand in his mane as we walked on. All too soon, Aslan told us to go back to camp. Of course, we didn't, and instead hid to watch what would happen.

Susan, Lucy, and I watched in horror as Jadis and her minions tortured and humiliated Aslan. The three of us clung to one another, trying not to alert any of the monsters to our presence. None of us could look as Jadis killed Aslan. We closed our eyes, and then waited and watched with tears running down our cheeks in rivers as the Witch and her minions celebrated. Eventually they left, and we crept out and silently made our way to Aslan. We sat with him and cried for a while. Eventually our tears stopped, and we sat in silence.

About two hours after our vigil started, Lucy spoke.

"Someone needs to tell the others."

I hesitated, debating whether to stay or go. Finally, I stood.

"I'll go."

Neither of them protested very hard. With a last hug to each of them, I left. I had to ask directions from sleepy dryads a couple of times, but I managed to make it back to the camp without any incidents. From what I could tell, dawn was still a couple hours away, so I asked one of the guards to wake me up at first light, and then I collapsed on my bed and slept.

Three hours later, I was gently woken by a Tigress. I sleepily thanked her before getting dressed in a fresh tunic and putting on my boots and gloves. I grabbed my knives and headed out to get the boys. Peter and Edmund were sound asleep when I entered their tent. I woke Peter up first, and then wisely let him wake Edmund up, as I'd heard the younger boy was a bear in the mornings. I left the boys' tent and headed to the breakfast table. I grabbed some energy fruits and a few other breakfast items and then headed over to the strategy table. Oreius was already there, and the boys joined us a few moments later. I handed each of them some breakfast, and while they ate, I told them was Susan, Lucy, and I had seen last night. Peter insisted on checking Aslan's tent just to be sure. Once the news was confirmed, we got down to the business of strategizing. It quickly became clear that while Oreius was the only one who actually knew what he was doing, Edmund was rather good at tactical stuff. Peter and I took a bit to figure out how things worked, but we still weren't very good. Everything was going rather well until it came time to decide where Edmund and I would be placed. An argument started when Peter said that Edmund and I were to be placed at the back of the army. Neither of us were happy with that assignment, and Edmund very forcefully let his brother know of our displeasure.

"Enough!" I finally yelled. "Arguing will get you nowhere." I paused, collecting my thoughts for a moment as Peter, Edmund, and Oreius stared at me in surprise. "Look Peter," I said. "I know you don't want us getting hurt, but Edmund and I simply want to be where we can help you the most." I looked down at the tactical map, contemplating different scenarios. "Why don't we compromise? Let's do this: either Edmund or I will be up with the archers. From there, we can see what's going on. The other person will be hidden amongst the rocks with a squad of soldiers. Whoever's with the archers can then direct the hidden squad to go help where needed. This way, we're more protected, and we're helping. What do you think?"

Peter and Edmund looked at each other for a moment, and then looked at Oreius, who nodded his approval. The boys looked back at me and nodded.

I smiled slightly. "Archers or hidden squad?" I asked Edmund.

He raised an eyebrow. "I'll take the hidden squad," he said as if it should be obvious.

I rolled my eyes. "Now, is that everything?"

Oreius nodded. "I believe so. I'll go relay orders to the commanders, and ready a squad."

We watched him go, and then I turned to the boys. "Come on, we better go get ready."

I went to go change into better fighting clothes. To my surprise, I found armor in my tent. Better yet, it actually fit me really well. I had to get help putting it on, but once it was on, I found that it was much, much lighter than I'd been expecting, and it allowed for a lot of movement. In all honesty, it was rather comfortable, which I hadn't expected. I knew armor was supposed to be uncomfortable, hot, and heavy, so I was incredibly happy that my armor wasn't any of that.

I strapped on my daggers and headed for the armory. I wanted to find some backup knives, just in case. It didn't take me long to find the weapons I wanted. I found several different types of knives, and chose some long ones, similar to the short swords Oreius had been having me use. I also grabbed some daggers about the same size as the ones I'd received from Father Christmas. I wanted to be prepared in case anything were to happen. Weapons chosen, I decided it was time to go find Amata.

To my surprise, Peter and Edmund were right outside the armory waiting for me. Peter asked me to follow him, and after exchanging a confused look with Edmund, I did. We were led to a small clearing that was currently empty.

"Peter? What's going on?" I asked.

He took a deep breath. "Look, you know I don't really want either of you in the battle." He held up a hand to prevent either me or Edmund from speaking. "But since it seems that I can't stop you, I want you to promise me something. If anything goes wrong, get out. Find the girls and get out."

I looked at Edmund and saw agreement there. Neither of us would abandon Peter, but I also knew Peter well enough to know that he would worry himself into a situation where he could die if we didn't give him this reassurance.

I looked at the eldest Pevensie. "If there is absolutely no hope left, I promise I'll get your family out."

Edmund looked at me, shocked, and I held his gaze, silently trying to tell him what I was doing. I don't think he understood, but Peter sighed in relief.

"Thank you, Alexa," he said, and then he sighed as a voice called his name. "That would be Elgar. I'd better go." He turned and jogged off, calling the unicorn's name.

Edmund waited until his brother was out of earshot, and then turned to me. I spoke just as he opened his mouth.

"Don't start, Edmund. You know I have no intention of leaving this battle without all four of you alive. Trust me. There is _always_ hope. I simply knew that he would be more likely to get himself killed if he was also worrying about you and your sisters. I will keep my promise, and if somehow all possible hope fails, which I highly doubt, I'll get you all out." I paused and grinned wickedly. "Besides, I never said I wouldn't let you back in."

Edmund smiled a bit at that, placated. I gave him a side hug.

I smiled at him. "Now come on. We've got horses to find and a battle to win."

I left my arm around his shoulders as we walked back to the camp.

An hour later, everyone was in place. I was standing with the archers on a cliff overlooking the plain where the battle was to take place. Amata was nearby, ready to carry me into battle. I wouldn't have to be a part of any fighting for the first bit of the battle, but I fully expected to have to fight at some point. Edmund was standing among the rocks with thirty soldiers. I could see Ed and his squad, but Jadis and her army wouldn't be able to. Looking down, I could see that Ed was nervous and probably scared. I couldn't see the enemy yet, so I figured I'd be ok if I went to talk to him. I carefully made my way to where Amata was standing.

"Edmund's down there worrying himself to death. Want to go cheer him up?"

Amata whinnied. "Climb on," she told me in her musical voice.

I obeyed, and we trotted down to where he was. We were careful as we made our way down, not wanting to give away the fact that there were people hidden among the rocks.

I dismounted once we arrived and walked up to Edmund. Neither of us said anything for a moment, and then he spoke.

"What if he dies?"

I didn't need to ask who he was talking about.

"He'll be fine."

"How do you know that?" Edmund cried, turning to face me.

"Because," I told him calmly, "I have faith that you will succeed. Aslan chose you four, and I know that he had a plan. A plan that won't work if one of you dies. Besides," I added, "I'm going to do my best to get the four of you on those thrones, and if that means I die instead of you or Peter, then I'll do it."

Edmund looked up at me, and I could tell he wanted to cry, but wouldn't in front of the soldiers.

"I don't want you to die either," he whispered to me. He wrapped his arms around me. I didn't hesitate in doing the same to him.

"I'm going to try my hardest not to," I whispered back.

We stood there, hugging each other for a few minutes, and then we had to let go of each other, as the Witch and her army were starting to approach.

"Thank you," Edmund told me. "Stay safe."

I smiled at him. "I will if you will."

He smiled back at me. "Deal."

He let go and I made my way back to Amata. We headed back up to our spot, just in time to see Peter look up at us. I smiled and nodded at him. He nodded back and then turned around. A moment later, his sword went up, and many griffins and birds began to drop stones onto the opposing army. I raised my own arm.

"Ready!" I called.

The archers readied themselves. The Witch's army charged. I waited until the enemy was close enough before dropping my arm.

"Fire!" I yelled.

As the arrows flew, Peter's arm went down, and I heard his battle cry.

"For Narnia! And for ASLAN!"


	5. Chapter 5

_**Disclaimer: see chapter 1**_

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For just a moment after Peter's battle cry, there was near silence, and then the two armies crashed together, and the sounds of battle filled the air. The archers and I stayed where we were, shooting arrows at the enemy and watching the battle. I kept an eye out for the weakest spots, and signaled Edmund whenever I found one. He'd send a few of his soldiers out to help, and then wait for my next signal. All too soon, only Edmund and two Centaurs were left. Before I could send any of them anywhere, the order to retreat to the rocks came. I raced to Amata. As soon as I was seated on her back, she raced off. The archers had their orders, so I didn't worry about them. I reached Edmund before any of the retreating soldiers reached us.

Amata stopped right next to Edmund and I dismounted. The black mare whinnied at me and then raced off. Edmund glanced at me, and I leaned over to speak to him.

"Stay close to me," I said quietly. He nodded and unsheathed his sword. I unsheathed my daggers, and we waited.

A few moments later, the first of the enemy reached us, and we charged into battle. I immediately searched for Peter. Finding him, I began to fight my way to his side, with Edmund right behind me. Peter spared only a glance at us when we reached him. He dispatched the Dwarf he was fighting, and then turned to fight with us. Together, the three of us managed not to get killed. We kept each other alive, and killed any enemy that came our way, either through luck, teamwork, or some combination thereof. After only a few minutes, we noticed Jadis working her way through the battlefield with a sword in one hand and a wand in the other. She wielded both with skill, and she was wreaking havoc on our army. I looked at Edmund and Peter.

"Shall we?" I asked.

The boys grinned wickedly me at me, and together we raced off to face the false Queen. Peter got separated from us just before we reached her, but Edmund and I continued on our course. We attacked her together, neither of us truly aiming to hurt the Witch, although we sure didn't hesitate to injure her when the opportunity presented itself. Instead, we were trying to break her wand. Edmund was the one who finally managed it. She tried to stab him with her broken wand in her anger, but I stepped in between them, and somehow managed to block her strikes. Edmund jumped back into the fight and tried to help me, but the Witch was far more skilled than either of us were. She began to lunge at Edmund. At the last second, I stepped between her and Edmund, and instead of hitting Edmund, her sword plunged into my chest. I fell backwards, pain coursing through me. It was unlike anything I'd ever felt before. Dimly, I heard Edmund scream in rage. I couldn't pay attention to anything around me, and moments later, I blacked out.

When I next opened my eyes, the pain was gone. Susan, Edmund, and Peter were looking down at me with worried faces. I smiled a bit at them and tried to sit up. Susan gently helped me. I was on the battlefield. There were bodies and statues all around me. I could see Aslan going from statue to statue and breaking the curse the Witch had laid on them. Lucy was racing around, giving drops of her life-saving cordial to those who needed it. I sat and watched everything around me, and by the time Aslan and Lucy were done doing what they could, I was feeling much better. I slowly stood by myself, although Peter, Edmund, and Susan stood next to me, ready to help me if I needed it. As soon as she saw that I could stand on my own, Susan gave me a bear hug. The moment she let go, Peter and Edmund nearly knocked me over with a hug of their own. Once they let me go, Lucy gave me a hug, and hers was so forceful that it DID knock me over. I laughed and hugged her back, and then let her pull me back to my feet. I could hear Aslan chuckling next to us, and as soon as I was back on me feet, I gave him a hug too. Once I let go, he turned serious.

"Edmund, Son of Adam, and Alexa, Daughter of Eve, kneel."

Edmund and I looked at each other, confused, but we did as ordered. The Lion placed a paw on Edmund's shoulder.

"Rise, Sir Edmund Shomer, Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Lion."

Edmund stood, and then Aslan placed a paw on my shoulder.

"Rise, Dame Alexa Athaleyah, Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Lion."

I stood, and everyone around us cheered.

Aslan let the sound continue for a moment, and then he called for silence. He started giving orders to people, and the army began the job of preparing to move out. The Pevensies and I walked back to camp with the Lion, and once we arrived, Aslan left the five of us to talk together. We found a place to sit down and almost immediately, I asked what had happened after I was stabbed. Peter told the story, since he'd seen it happen.

Apparently, once Jadis stabbed me, Edmund screamed in rage and launched an attack on the Witch. Peter was trying to make his way over to us, but when he heard Edmund scream and saw me lying on the ground, he kind of lost it. He made his way over to us and made sure no one got near me while Edmund fought Jadis. Ed had picked up a random sword that was on the ground and he fought the Witch using two blades instead of one. He managed to keep her from hurting him, but just barely. He didn't have to fight her for long, though, because Aslan showed up with reinforcements only a couple minutes after Jadis stabbed me. The Lion went straight for the false Queen, and he finished her. Susan and Lucy came down to where I lay, with Peter and Edmund protecting me. Lucy gave me drops from her cordial, and they all waited to see if it would work. Aslan came over after he finished Jadis, and he had to remind Lucy that there were other people who needed the cordial.

"Wow," I said when Peter finished telling the tale. I looked at Peter and Edmund with tears in my eyes, very much aware that if they hadn't protected me, I wouldn't have been alive for Lucy to use her cordial on. "Thank you," I said softly.

The boys smiled at me. "Thank _you_," Edmund said back to me. "If you hadn't stepped in, I would have been the one she stabbed."

"I told you, I would have died if that's what it took to get you to Cair Paravel."

Lucy got up and hugged me. "I'm glad you didn't die," she told me.

"So am I, Lucy, so am I."

The next day, the army packed up the camp, and we all headed to Cair Paravel. We learned from some of the soldiers we talked to that the journey from the battlefield to Cair Paravel would normally only take two or three days, but with an entire army to move, it took nearly a week. We finally arrived in the late afternoon of the sixth day since the battle ended. The army started either setting up their camp or heading to their homes nearby while Aslan led us into the castle. I expected it to be dirty and dusty, but apparently, the Lion had thought of that. He'd sent a bunch of the more peaceful people to clean the place, and it looked amazing. The five of us couldn't stop staring at everything as Aslan led us on a tour. We started in the throne room, where the Pevensies would be crowned in a couple of days, and finished in the dining room, where a feast was laid out for us. We ate, talked, and laughed with many of the army officers, and, of course, Aslan. The party lasted into the early morning, although the Pevensies and I left around midnight.

The wing of the castle where our rooms were was silent. We each had our own room, and as the oldest, Peter and I put everyone else to bed. I had just finished saying goodnight to Peter, and was headed to my own room, when Lucy knocked on the door. She said her room was dark and scary, and asked if she could sleep with her brother. He gave in easily, and I helped her get settled in the huge bed. I opened the door to leave, but Susan stood there, her hand poised to knock. She made up some excuse about making sure Lucy was ok, but Peter and I both saw right through it. Peter told her to climb into his bed. She did so without complaint, and just as she did, another knock sounded at the door. I answered it, and found Edmund there. Silently, I let him in. He didn't even bother asking if he could stay the night with Peter: he simply crawled into the older boy's huge bed. By this point, I was so tired that I wouldn't have made it all the way to my own room, even though it was just across the hall, so I crawled into bed with the others and fell asleep the moment I got comfortable.

The next morning, I woke up to sunlight shining in my face. Groaning, I tried to roll over to avoid the light, only to find that I was kind of trapped under four other people. During the night, everyone had kind of tangled together, but somehow I ended up in the middle, with all of them on top of me. I didn't complain much.

The others woke up slowly, but eventually, everyone was up and eating the breakfast that someone had left for us. Once that was done, we each headed to our own rooms to get dressed for the day.

I entered my room and took a good look around. The tour had been too rushed the day before for us to take more than a quick glance inside our rooms, and I hadn't gotten the chance to see it after that.

My room was actually a suite of rooms, and it was enormous. I had a sitting room, a large bedroom, a big bathroom, an office, and a large room that could be used for anything. I planned to turn it into my private library. The entire suite was already decorated. None of the walls were painted, since they were made of stone, but the furniture, curtains, and everything else was all tastefully chosen and arranged. The living room had mainly purple items in it, with light-colored wooden furniture and gold accents. The bathroom and bedroom were both done in shades of blue, with light colored wood, and silver accents. The office was done in dark wood and green.

I took a look around, and then made my way to my bedroom to find the wardrobe. I thought someone had mentioned that it would be full of clothes that would fit me, and I was right. Looking through all the beautiful clothes, I found a dress that was gorgeous. It was a beautiful, bright blue. A section the length of the dress in front had a different pattern on it. It was a lighter blue, with a floral pattern. The light green of the leaves and the light pink of the flowers went wonderfully with the blue of the dress. A silver belt wrapped around my waist and hung down in front. The sleeves were long and flowing. I put on a pair of leggings and my black boots underneath the dress, where no one would see them. I put my hair in a braid and strapped my daggers to my arms, and I was ready. I made my way back out to the hall, where I found Peter and Lucy waiting. I'd just joined them when Edmund came out into the hall. The four of us chatted for a few minutes about random things, until Susan finally came out of her room. Now that all five of us were there, we began to make our way to the entry hall of the castle. We got lost once or twice along the way, but we finally made it. Mr. Tumnus was there, waiting for us. The faun was to be our supervisor for the day, and in charge of making sure we got to where we needed to go when we needed to be there. Lucy, of course, nearly tackled the faun with a hug when she saw him. Somehow he managed to stay standing on his own two hooves. He greeted Lucy, and then the rest of us cheerfully, before leading us to our first stop of the day: the seamstresses. The coronation was to be the next day, and the seamstresses needed to measure us and make sure our outfits fit perfectly. That didn't take long, and once we were done, Mr. Tumnus led us to our next stop, and then our next, and then our next. It was a busy day. We met our tutors, who would teach us about Narnian customs and laws, as well as doing regular schooling for the Pevensies. I didn't need the regular schooling, as I'd already graduated from high school. We also were taken down to the Royal Vault, where we were told we'd have a place to store our most treasured items. We were introduced to our personal servants. We all tried to protest, but we were ignored. The boys got personal valets, both of whom were fauns. Peter's was named Niajo, and Edmund's was named Balkar. We girls all got personal maids. Lucy's was a dryad named Blossom. Susan's was a naiad named Coral. I got a nymph named Andra.

We had supper together in a small dining room. It was a nice, relaxing meal, filled with laughter. After the meal, we congregated in my room, mostly because it was the first one in the hall. We spent a couple hours talking about different things before it was finally decided that we should all go to bed. Everyone went to change and get ready for sleep in their own rooms. I'd just climbed into my nice, big, soft bed when I heard a knock at the door. Groaning, I went and opened the door to my chambers, only to find all four of the others waiting. I rolled my eyes but let them in, and without a word they climbed into my bed.

The next morning, we were woken by Andra. The maid shook me awake. I thought it was my sister, and rolled over to tell her to go away. Unfortunately for me, I was on the edge of the bed, and so rolling over meant that I fell off the bed. I instinctively tried to grab something to keep me on the bed, and ended up grabbing Peter's arm, and pulling him off the bed and onto me. His startled cry woke Lucy and Susan up. They sat up to try and see what was happening. Lucy caught on first and started laughing, which apparently woke Edmund up just enough to decide that people were being too loud for him. He grabbed a pillow and pulled it over his head. Andra looked on in shock for a moment, before she reached down and pulled Peter to his feet. Once he was up and didn't look like he was going to fall over, she pulled me to my feet as well. After that, it only took a couple of minutes for everyone to be up, even Edmund, who was grumpily glaring at Susan, who'd literally pulled him out of bed. Once Andra was sure we were all awake, she led us into my living room, where five plates of breakfast were waiting. Silently, we all sat down and started eating. As soon as we were all finished, the others were guided into their own rooms, where their servants were waiting for them. Andra led me into my bathroom, where the bathtub was filled with hot water. I climbed in, and she left.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Disclaimer: see chapter 1**_

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Once I was done with my bath, I headed out to my bedroom, where I found Andra waiting with my coronation dress. It was a lovely gown of light pink. There was floral embroidery on the hem of the skirt, and the bodice, and a large embroidered flower on the left side of the skirt, all of it done in green, white, purple, and a dark pink. The sleeves were short, ending just above my elbow, where there was a band of embroidered flowers. Where the band ended, there was a long sleeve, which flowed down to the ground. It was more a strip of cloth than anything else, as it didn't really cover my arms at all. Around my waist was a simple belt made of silver. I had a silver necklace on as well, with a flower pendant. The stud earrings in my ears matched the pendant. On my feet were comfortable silver flats. Andra did my hair. When she was done, my thick brown hair looked amazing. Half of it was pulled back, while the rest was left to hang down. Part of it was braided, and part was twisted. I'm not sure how she managed to do it, but it looked amazing. Once she finished, I stood in front of the floor-length mirror hanging on the wall. Andra and I inspected my outfit, just to make sure it looked ok. Once Andra declared me "beautiful," I headed out to meet with the others. Peter and Edmund were standing in the hallway when I came out, and both of them looked amazing. Peter had on a forest green tunic with golden embroidery, brown pants and boots, and a golden cape. Edmund was wearing a dark blue tunic with silver embroidery, black pants and boots, and a silver cape. They saw me as I entered the hall, and Peter's jaw dropped.

"Wow, Alexa," Edmund said, sounding slightly impressed and looking amused at his brother's reaction, "You look amazing!"

I smiled at them. "Thanks, Edmund. Peter, close your mouth. You'll end up eating a bug or something."

The blond boy shook his head and opened his mouth to say something, but just then Lucy came out. She was dressed in a bright red dress with silver accents and a silver cape, with her short hair curled slightly. She looked awesome. Susan came out a couple seconds later, and she looked stunning. Her dress was a deep purple, with golden accessories and embroidery, and a golden cape. Before any of us could say anything, Mr. Tumnus came hurrying down the hall. He took us to the entrance of the throne room, where we were guided into position. Peter and Susan were side by side at the front. Edmund and Lucy stood next to each other behind their older siblings, and I stood alone behind them. As soon as we were all ready, the doors opened, and the ceremony began.

The first thing I noticed was the golden Lion waiting for us at the dais in the front of the room. There were lots of people staring at us from either side of the aisle, but I ignored them, instead choosing to focus on the golden Lion. The walk up to him was short and silent. As soon as we reached the dais, we separated, each of us headed to our own seats. Peter and Susan stepped up to their thrones first. They had the two thrones in the middle of the four. Peter was on the left and Susan was on the right. Edmund and Lucy stepped up next, each of them going to their thrones. Edmund sat on Peter's right, and Lucy sat to her sister's left. My chair was on Lucy's left. We each stood in front of our seats and waited as Aslan spoke. As he announced each name and title, Mr. Tumnus and the Beavers came forward to place the proper crown on each person's head.

"To the glittering Eastern Sea, I give you, Queen Lucy the Valiant. To the great Western Woods, I give you, King Edmund the Just. To the radiant Southern Sun, I give you, Queen Susan the Gentle. And to the clear Northern Sky, I give you, High King Peter the Magnificent."

The crowd cheered, and Aslan let them for a moment. When it became clear that the crowd would happily continuing cheering for some time, Aslan held up a single paw, and the crowd instantly quieted.

"Dame Athaleyah," Aslan called, "Come kneel before me."

I silently did as ordered and knelt before the Lion. He solemnly asked me if I promised to advise the Four Royals to the best of my ability, and if I would always keep Narnia's interests at heart. I promised to do so, and he named me Lady Alexa the Loyal, Royal Advisor of Narnia. Mr. Tumnus presented me with a golden ring with the crest of Narnia on it as a symbol of my new station, and Aslan told me to stand as he presented me to the crowd, and then to the Royals. I curtsied as best I could to each of the new Kings and Queens as the crowd cheered my name, and then I went back to my chair. Aslan finished the ceremony with a reminder to us.

"Once a king or queen of Narnia, always a king or queen," he said softly. He looked at me, "And once a Royal Advisor of Narnia, always a Royal Advisor." I bowed my head in acknowledgement, and then smiled at him.

As soon as the ceremony ended, I made my way to the Lion. I guessed that he would be leaving soon, and I wanted to say my goodbyes before he did. I spent a good ten or fifteen minutes in his company, simply reveling in the joy of being with him. I buried my face in his mane, and gave him hugs. He laughed and smiled, and before I left, he gave some advice about my new role.

The celebration feast included dancing and a huge banquet, and went late into the night. The Royals and I retired to our chambers before the party ended, and after we got ready for bed, we all ended up falling asleep in Lucy's bed. She didn't seem to mind. The next day, Blossom got us all up for our first day in our new positions.

The first few years were busy. The boys and I trained with Oreius everyday with different weapons. Later, the five of us would attend lessons or hold court. Those in charge of our schedules made sure to let us have some free time to ourselves so that we didn't get too stressed or overworked. I took on most of the work of ruling the country at first, since I didn't have as many lessons to go to. Peter and Susan helped where they could, and as the years passed, they started doing a lot of the work. Edmund began to help where he could, and as Lucy grew up and matured, she did her part as well. Within ten years of our arrival in Narnia, the four of them were ruling together, with me advising them as well as I could. The four of them were capable rulers, and the country prospered under their reign.

Peter quickly became known as a strong leader. He was an incredible warrior with most weapons, but he was at his best with his sword and shield. Peter had a temper, which sometimes got him into trouble. Edmund was one of the only ones who could calm Peter down long enough to get through whatever situation he was in. Peter never married, although women threw themselves at him at every opportunity.

Edmund had a reputation for being a just king. He was the Chief Judge of Narnia, and he was good at it. He was level-headed and usually merciful in his rulings, which made the people love him. He was also a great warrior, and he fought best with dual swords in his hands. Edmund didn't have a huge temper, and it took a lot to make him mad. Once he was angry, though, he was nearly unstoppable. Peter was pretty much the only one who could singlehandedly calm his brother down. Edmund never married either, although there were one or two girls that he dated over the years.

Susan truly embodied her title of "Gentle." She was the peacemaker, mediator, hostess, and diplomat. She was also known for being the most beautiful woman in the world. Many, many suitors came to ask for her hand in marriage, but all of them came to gain a trophy wife, and so Susan turned them all away. Susan rarely went to battle with us, despite being the best archer in Narnia. That didn't mean she wouldn't fight, though. Susan was fierce when it came to protecting her family, and more than a few times, an enemy would harm one of those people that she considered family. The enemy would then discover exactly how protective Susan was of those she loved, and why it was a bad idea to make her mad.

Lucy was always smiling and helping people. She genuinely loved people, and they loved her in return. Lucy was also a formidable warrior. She excelled at fighting with pretty much any projectile weapon, although she preferred using her dagger or bow. She started riding to war with her brothers and me when she was 18. Her siblings and I were extremely protective of her, and none of us would let her come before that. Lucy never married either, although I know she was courting someone when we left Narnia.

As for me, well, I tried my best to do well in the role Aslan had given me. I advised the Royals as best I could. I wasn't perfect, and I gave bad advice sometimes, but I learned what I could from my mistakes, and life went on. I became a decent warrior as well, although if you ask Peter or Edmund, they'll say I was as good as, if not better than Oreius. I always accompanied the boys when they went off to battle, unless I absolutely couldn't go with them for some reason or another. Peter, Edmund and I learned to fight as a team when we battled. Over the years, we got to the point where we could hold a completely serious conversation about some topic that had nothing to do with the battle, and still not lose our focus. It was a good tactic for us, as it completely terrified our enemies, and we actually got stuff done at the same time. It didn't take long after our coronation for the Pevensies to become my brothers and sisters. For a few years, it was just the five of us, but about seven years after the coronation, I married a knight from Archenland, and Bran became a part of our family. By the time we left Narnia, Bran and I had had five kids.

Oreius stayed with us at Cair Paravel as the General of the army. He got married about ten years after we arrived in Narnia, to a very nice Centauress who was a skilled archer, and a Captain in the army. She retired after they married.

During the first few years of their reign, Lucy asked me to tell them my story. In detail. So I did. They were surprised to learn that I was from a different time, but they didn't treat me any differently, and they didn't ask what had happened in between my time and theirs. I don't think they really cared anymore. I was their sister, and that was all that mattered.


	7. Chapter 7

_**This is by far, the shortest chapter. Honestly, though, I expected there to be a few more chapters before the end inevitably came. One would think that 25 pages in a Word document would result in more than 7 chapters.**_

_**Anyway, the first story is done. I have the sequel written, but it needs to be edited, and there's one more story I'd like to put on here before we get to the adventures of Prince Caspian. Hopefully, I can have that done in the next week or two. Feel free to bug me about it until it's done and posted. :D**_

_**Thanks to everyone who read this story. I hope it was enjoyable, at least a little bit.**_

_**Disclaimer: see chapter 1**_

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Every year, I waited to hear of the White Stag. There would be rumors here and there, but the hunt I was so afraid of didn't happen until about twenty-six years after our arrival in Narnia. The Stag was supposed to grant a wish to whoever caught it, so when we heard the rumors of the animal roaming the Western Woods, my family was excited. A hunt was planned for the beginning of November.

I cleared my schedule of everything for the day before the hunt, and instead of attending meetings or helping my siblings with various things, I spent the day with my husband and my kids. We had fun the entire day. After dinner, I called my family to a family meeting in the sitting room. My seventeen-year-old twin daughters, Hannah and Faith, sat down on one of the couches with my oldest son, Brandon, who was nineteen. My fourteen-year-old son, James, sat next to my ten-year-old daughter, Alexandria on one of the loveseats. I sat next to my husband across from them. The meeting that followed was filled with tears as I told my children and my husband that I was leaving Narnia. They weren't exactly happy with the news, but there was nothing I could do about it. We stayed up late, just talking. I gave each of my kids a gift, something to remember me by. Finally, we went to bed. My daughters all congregated in Alexandria's room to sleep, and my sons went to Brandon's room. I climbed in bed with my husband, and we talked long into the night. He made me tell him what I knew about what was to come, and I just knew he would have a few surprises for me when I came back. He finally went to sleep, but I stayed up for a while longer, just looking at my husband, trying to memorize his face. Eventually, I got up and went into my office. There were so many things I wanted to say to the man I loved that I knew I wouldn't get to say before we were separated. With that in mind, I wrote him a letter, filled with everything I couldn't say. I poured my heart out, and when I was finally done, I was crying. I sealed it and hid it until I could put it somewhere where he would see it after I'd left. Once that was done, I went to bed.

The next morning, I woke up to the sun shining on my face. Bran was already up, but when he saw that I was awake, he came over to me with a plate of breakfast. I ate quickly, and then got dressed as fast as I could. By the time that was done, it was nearly 10 in the morning, but the hunt wasn't scheduled to start until around 1, so Bran and I spent about an hour talking with each other. I'd decided to give him a gift to remember me by: the book I'd received from Father Christmas all those years ago. It was well-used. The book was magic, and would show me different things every time I opened it. Sometimes it would show me pictures of the family I'd left behind in America. Sometimes it would show me letters that Bran had written to me when we were apart. I hoped that by leaving it with Bran, it would help alleviate a tiny bit of the pain that my leaving had created.

After about an hour with Bran, just talking and resting, my kids came in, and I proceeded to spend the next two hours with them, laughing and teasing and talking. Finally, it was nearly time for me to leave. In those last, precious moments with my family, I made sure to give them each a hug and kiss, and whisper words of love in their ear. I didn't want to leave them without making sure they knew I loved them. The last thing I did before I left to join my family, was to take the letter I'd written to Bran and place it on his pillow.

I reached the courtyard where my siblings were waiting. Before I mounted up on Amata, I made sure to go around to each of them and tell them I loved them. I gave Amata one last hug before I mounted her, and we set off, bantering and laughing. We spent a few hours looking for the Stag before we happened across the lantern burning in a clearing. I knew what it stood for, but the others didn't seem to recognize it at first, but then Lucy seemed to remember that the entrance to the wardrobe was near and she started toward it. The others followed her. I took one last look at the land I loved, and then knelt. I sent one last prayer to Aslan, praying that he would keep my family safe, and then my eyes closed, and I blacked out.

I woke up on the couch in my apartment. Only a moment had passed since I'd left. All of my roommates were still out, but I knew they'd be back soon. I wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone, so I went into my room and closed the door. For the rest of the night, I went through all of my memories of Narnia and everything that had happened in that wonderful land. I cried off and on, knowing that it would be a long time before I saw my family again, but I knew that Aslan would take care of them. At some point or another, I noticed that I was still wearing my wedding ring and my Advisor ring, and the realization made me weep. I silently promised myself that I'd never take it off.

It was a strange feeling, being 18 again. In Narnia, I had just turned 45. I knew that the 26 years spent in another country had changed me, and I resolved not to let myself go back to the girl I'd been before I spent a lifetime in another country. With that resolution in mind, I started looking up different things and making plans. I didn't know if I'd ever go back to Narnia, but I wanted to be prepared if I did.


End file.
